high CVSS 7.8 EPSS <0.1%

CVE-2021-47103·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inet: fully convert sk->sk_rx_dst to RCU rules syzbot reported various issues around early demux, one being included in this changelog [1] sk->sk_rx_dst is using RCU protection without clearly documenting it. And following sequences in tcp_v4_do_rcv()/tcp_v6_do_rcv() are not following standard RCU rules. [a] dst_release(dst); [b] sk->sk_rx_dst = NULL; They look wrong because a delete operation of RCU protected pointer is supposed to clear the pointer before the call_rcu()/synchronize_rcu() guarding actual memory freeing. In some cases indeed, dst could be freed before [b] is done. We could cheat by clearing sk_rx_dst before calling dst_release(), but this seems the right time to stick to standard RCU annotations and debugging facilities. [1] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in dst_check include/net/dst.h:470 [inline] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in tcp_v4_early_demux+0x95b/0x960 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1792 Read of size 2 at addr ffff88807f1cb73a by task syz-executor.5/9204 CPU: 0 PID: 9204 Comm: syz-executor.5 Not tainted 5.16.0-rc5-syzkaller #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 01/01/2011 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0xcd/0x134 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0.cold+0x8d/0x320 mm/kasan/report.c:247 __kasan_report mm/kasan/report.c:433 [inline] kasan_report.cold+0x83/0xdf mm/kasan/report.c:450 dst_check include/net/dst.h:470 [inline] tcp_v4_early_demux+0x95b/0x960 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1792 ip_rcv_finish_core.constprop.0+0x15de/0x1e80 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:340 ip_list_rcv_finish.constprop.0+0x1b2/0x6e0 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:583 ip_sublist_rcv net/ipv4/ip_input.c:609 [inline] ip_list_rcv+0x34e/0x490 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:644 __netif_receive_skb_list_ptype net/core/dev.c:5508 [inline] __netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x549/0x8e0 net/core/dev.c:5556 __netif_receive_skb_list net/core/dev.c:5608 [inline] netif_receive_skb_list_internal+0x75e/0xd80 net/core/dev.c:5699 gro_normal_list net/core/dev.c:5853 [inline] gro_normal_list net/core/dev.c:5849 [inline] napi_complete_done+0x1f1/0x880 net/core/dev.c:6590 virtqueue_napi_complete drivers/net/virtio_net.c:339 [inline] virtnet_poll+0xca2/0x11b0 drivers/net/virtio_net.c:1557 __napi_poll+0xaf/0x440 net/core/dev.c:7023 napi_poll net/core/dev.c:7090 [inline] net_rx_action+0x801/0xb40 net/core/dev.c:7177 __do_softirq+0x29b/0x9c2 kernel/softirq.c:558 invoke_softirq kernel/softirq.c:432 [inline] __irq_exit_rcu+0x123/0x180 kernel/softirq.c:637 irq_exit_rcu+0x5/0x20 kernel/softirq.c:649 common_interrupt+0x52/0xc0 arch/x86/kernel/irq.c:240 asm_common_interrupt+0x1e/0x40 arch/x86/include/asm/idtentry.h:629 RIP: 0033:0x7f5e972bfd57 Code: 39 d1 73 14 0f 1f 80 00 00 00 00 48 8b 50 f8 48 83 e8 08 48 39 ca 77 f3 48 39 c3 73 3e 48 89 13 48 8b 50 f8 48 89 38 49 8b 0e <48> 8b 3e 48 83 c3 08 48 83 c6 08 eb bc 48 39 d1 72 9e 48 39 d0 73 RSP: 002b:00007fff8a413210 EFLAGS: 00000283 RAX: 00007f5e97108990 RBX: 00007f5e97108338 RCX: ffffffff81d3aa45 RDX: ffffffff81d3aa45 RSI: 00007f5e97108340 RDI: ffffffff81d3aa45 RBP: 00007f5e97107eb8 R08: 00007f5e97108d88 R09: 0000000093c2e8d9 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 00007f5e97107eb0 R13: 00007f5e97108338 R14: 00007f5e97107ea8 R15: 0000000000000019 </TASK> Allocated by task 13: kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x50 mm/kasan/common.c:38 kasan_set_track mm/kasan/common.c:46 [inline] set_alloc_info mm/kasan/common.c:434 [inline] __kasan_slab_alloc+0x90/0xc0 mm/kasan/common.c:467 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:259 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:519 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3234 [inline] slab_alloc mm/slub.c:3242 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc+0x202/0x3a0 mm/slub.c:3247 dst_alloc+0x146/0x1f0 net/core/dst.c:92 rt_dst_alloc+0x73/0x430 net/ipv4/route.c:1613 ip_route_input_slow+0x1817/0x3a20 net/ipv4/route.c:234 ---truncated---

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
5.15.12
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 11% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2021-47103 scores 7.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at <0.1%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 5.11

Until: 5.15.12

Fixed in: 5.15.12

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 5.15.12 or later to resolve this RCU synchronization vulnerability in the network stack. The fix properly implements RCU protection rules for the sk->sk_rx_dst pointer, preventing use-after-free conditions during early demux operations. Reboot the system after applying the kernel update to activate the patched version.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Run 'uname -r' to check the currently running kernel version and confirm it is earlier than 5.15.12
  2. Execute 'cat /proc/version' to verify kernel build details and check if it contains a vulnerable version identifier
  3. Search system logs with 'grep -i "use-after-free\|KASAN" /var/log/kern.log' to identify any past exploitation attempts targeting the dst_check function
  4. After applying updates, reboot and run 'uname -r' again to confirm the kernel version is now 5.15.12 or higher

FAQ

What is CVE-2021-47103?

CVE-2021-47103 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network stack where the sk->sk_rx_dst pointer was not properly protected by RCU (Read-Copy-Update) synchronization rules, allowing it to be freed while still referenced during TCP early demux processing.

Is CVE-2021-47103 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. However, it was discovered through automated fuzzing and represents a real memory safety risk.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2021-47103?

Linux kernel versions 5.11 through 5.15.11 are affected. The vulnerability was patched in kernel 5.15.12 and later.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2021-47103?

Run 'uname -r' and compare the output to 5.15.12. If your kernel version is between 5.11 and 5.15.11, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2021-47103?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2021-47103 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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CVE-2026-53398CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: NFSD: Fix SECINFO_NO_NAME decode error cleanup nfsd4_decode_secinfo_no_name() currently initializes sin_exp after decoding sin_style. If the XDR stream is truncated, the decoder returns nfserr_bad_xdr before sin_exp is initialized. Since commit 3fdc54646234 ("NFSD: Reduce amount of struct nfsd4_compoundargs that needs clearing"), the inline iops array is not cleared between RPC calls. A failed SECINFO_NO_NAME decode can therefore leave sin_exp holding stale union contents from a previous operation. The error response path still invokes nfsd4_secinfo_no_name_release(), which calls exp_put() on a non-NULL sin_exp. Initialize sin_exp before the first failable decode step, matching nfsd4_decode_secinfo().
CVE-2026-64268CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/siw: bound Read Response placement to the RREAD length In drivers/infiniband/sw/siw/siw_qp_rx.c, siw_proc_rresp() places each inbound Read Response DDP segment at sge->laddr + wqe->processed and then accumulates wqe->processed, but it never checks the running total against the sink buffer length on continuation segments. siw_check_sge() resolves and validates the sink memory only on the first fragment (the if (!*mem) branch), and siw_rresp_check_ntoh() compares the cumulative length against wqe->bytes only on the final segment (the !frx->more_ddp_segs guard). A connected siw peer that answers an outstanding RREAD with Read Response segments that keep the DDP Last flag clear, carrying more total payload than the RREAD requested, drives wqe->processed past the validated sink buffer; the next siw_rx_data() call writes out of bounds at sge->laddr + wqe->processed. siw runs iWARP over ordinary routable TCP, so the peer is the remote end of an established RDMA connection and needs no local privilege. Bound every segment before placement, exactly as siw_proc_send() and siw_proc_write() already do for their tagged and untagged paths, and terminate the connection with a base-or-bounds DDP error when the Read Response would overrun the sink buffer. This is the second receive-path length fix for this file. A separate change rejects an MPA FPDU length that underflows the per-fragment remainder in the header decode; that guard does not cover this case, because here each individual segment length is self-consistent and only the accumulated placement offset overruns the buffer.
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CVE-2026-53384CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: serial: 8250_dw: unregister 8250 port if clk_notifier_register() fails dw8250_probe() registers the 8250 port via serial8250_register_8250_port() and then, if the device has a clock, registers a clock notifier. If clk_notifier_register() fails, probe returns the error but leaves the 8250 port registered. The matching serial8250_unregister_port() lives in dw8250_remove(), which is not called when probe fails, so the port slot stays occupied until the device is rebound or the system is rebooted. The devm-allocated driver data is freed while the port still references it (via the saved private_data and serial_in/serial_out callbacks), so any access to that port slot before a rebind is a use-after-free hazard. Unregister the port on the clk_notifier_register() error path.

References

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